The invention pertains to a device for electrically or mechanically connecting a web. In a first field of application of this invention, the device is used to make electrical connections. In this case, the web is a current-carrying electrical conductor. In another field of application, the device is used as a fastener for a functional part.
Such a device is known from DE 19 16 468 A1. Here the pair of sidepieces consists of arc-shaped contact elements, the outer ends of which are supported against wall projections of a housing made of insulating material, whereas the inner ends of the elements are connected to each other by the integral U-shaped loop. To establish the desired contact, a plate, functioning as a plug-in element, is inserted into the loop. The end surface of the plate meets the bottom of the loop and carries the loop along until the two spring ends of the contact elements grip the plate between them. After contact has been established, the plate projects out of the opening of the loop, whereas the areas of the spring elements beyond an inflection point are deformed. The contacting force exerted on the plate by the contact elements then decreases somewhat, with the result that the plate retains itself in the loop.
BE 448 645 A shows a way in which wires can be attached to a piece of sheet metal, which can be either flat or bent into a hood-like shape. For this purpose, double-walled areas of the sheet are bent outward into flanges. An axial opening or a radial slot is formed between the double walls of the flanges, into which an electrical wire can be introduced.